


Calgary Embers

by hfleury



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, M/M, On Ice Fight, rating bc they say fuck a lot, small description of fight/injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 15:57:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16684645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hfleury/pseuds/hfleury
Summary: Haydn thought Noah loved him, that was, until he was traded to the Calgary Flames.





	Calgary Embers

**Author's Note:**

> for ease of reading: >>[name] is haydn sending a text, <<[name] is haydn receiving a text, and <<[name; name] is him texting/receiving texts from a group chat (the first name being the name of the chat, the second being the person's name in haydns phone)
> 
> i was originally going to post this the day of the game, but i got excited and finished it super early, so here it is!! i'll probably write something else for the day of!

**June 23, 2018**

“We have a trade to announce,” Haydn’s television buzzed quietly from the other room. “From the Calgary Flames, Michael Ferland, prospect Adam Fox, and Dougie Hamilton, will be going to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin.” Haydn couldn’t help but laugh. _Someone fucked up. We’d never trade Noah,_ he thought.

 

>> _hanny_ : someone fucked up

>> _hanny_ : please tell me you’re watching the draft

 

He texted Noah quickly and kept going about his day, not paying much attention to his phone, which had been going off non-stop. Finally, after ignoring his tenth call, he decided to pick up.

“Dude, I’ve been trying to call you all day, what the fuck?” Brett yelled. “Have you been able to get ahold of Hanny?”

“No,” Haydn shrugged. “Why would I?” He heard Brett snort from the other end of the line.

“Okay first, you guys are always together. Second, he just got traded to fucking Calgary.” Haydn paused for a second. _There was no way that was true, right?_ Hanifin was one of the faces of the team, they would never trade him. He went to the All Star game for god’s sake, why would Carolina ever get rid of him?

“That’s not true,” Haydn shrugged again. “The announcers must have gotten it wrong.”

“No,” Brett said affirmatively. “Hanny’s gone.” Haydn paused for a second, letting the words sink in. _There’s no way._

“I- I have to go.” He hung up the phone before sliding to the floor. He felt like he was in a dream and he was just waiting to wake up. _He’s not gone, he can’t be._ Trading him wouldn’t make sense, _right?_ He opened the NHL app on his phone, scrolling to the first headline.

“ _Hamilton, Ferland traded to Hurricanes by Flames for Hanifin_ ”. The more Haydn read the more he realized that Hanifin for Hamilton made perfect sense, _but why would they go for that_? Everyone seemed to love Noah; he was always smiling and was great with fans and the media.

For the next three hours, Haydn tried to get ahold of Noah.

 

>> _hanny_ : hey, call me

>> _hanny_ : seriously we need to talk

>> _hanny_ : hanny, seriously please

>> _hanny_ : pick up your phone dude

>> _hanny_ : noah please i’m not fucking around

>> _hanny_ : pick up your fucking phone

 

Dozens of messages like that were sent, but not one of them prompted a reply. _Why won’t he answer?_

 

<< _best d in the league; faulker_ : Hanifin I’m putting this in the group chat so you know I’m not fucking around. Pick up your fucking phone.

<< _best d in the league; pesce_ : ^^ SECOND

<< _best d in the league; pesce_ : pick up your phone man

<< _best d in the league; slavo_ : ^ Third. Or at least text me back.

<< _best d in the league; trevor vr:_ ^^^^^ fourth. @haydn you two are attached at the hip, have you heard anything?

>> _best d in the league_ : no.

 

What the guys didn’t know, what _nobody_ knew, was that he and Noah weren’t friends; they were in love, or, at least, Haydn _thought_ they were in love. When he had been called up, he and Noah had really hit it off. After a particularly heavy night of drinking they had both ended up at Noah’s apartment; out of nowhere Noah told Haydn that he loved him, and Haydn said it back. That night was also the first time they slept together and by no means was it the last. Their relationship had always been like that, it moved quickly but never seemed rushed.

Another three hours went by, there was still no answer. _Why would he not want to talk to me?_

 

<< _best d in the league; slavo_ : Maybe his phone is just dead?

<< _best d in the league; pesce:_ his phone is legit never dead

<< _best d in the league; pesce:_ he carries like three battery packs on road trips

<< _best d in the league; slavo_ : Fair.

<< _best d in the league; faulker:_ He’s just being a dick.

 

Haydn sat quietly, reading through his messages. He tried calling Noah one last time before he went to sleep that night.

 

>> _hanny_ : look, i know you’re probably tired of me texting you, but please just pick up.

>> _hanny_ : all i want to do is make sure you’re okay.

 

He spent the night tossing and turning, never fully falling asleep; he was unbelievably worried. Noah had never not answered his calls before,  _what if he was hurt? What if he was angry at him?_ Haydn’s mind swirled with questions. Resisting the urge to open his eyes and text Noah again he laid in bed quietly, looking out of the window into the darkness.

* * *

**January 22, 2019**

It had been seven months since Haydn last talked to Noah. He had stopped trying to call after a month of no response, he figured there was no use trying to talk to him when he obviously wanted nothing to do with him.

For seven months, Haydn would watch highlights and interviews of Noah in Calgary, watching as he smiled his way through media day and press conferences. Watching him almost made him sick; _how could someone who supposedly loved him act so happy without him?_ He tried his best not to let it get to him, but it always did. He loved Noah, even after all of this; It stung to see him act so nonchalant.

Now, after _seven months_ of nothing but repressed anger and depression he was finally going to see him again. Tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes played the Calgary Flames for the first time since the big trade. Haydn would be lying if he said he was excited, in fact, he was the exact opposite; he was _terrified_ . He had no idea what he was going to do when he saw Noah. They were probably going to be on the ice, so it wasn’t like they could just have a conversation, not that Haydn wanted to talk to him. He had spent months trying to get Noah out of his head, trying to clear his emotions, but they were all about to come rushing back; _he could feel it_.

As he made his way into the visitor’s locker room the only thing he could think about was Noah. _He’s probably doesn’t even care that I’m here right now. I doubt he’ll say anything._ He tried his best to shake the thoughts, but they kept coming back. As the rest of the team made their way into the room he quickly got into his gear and sat in his stall, music blaring through his headphones.

“Alright, guys,” Justin said, directing everyone’s attention to the center of the room. “There’s a lot riding on this game, don’t let it get to you. Let’s get out there and fight, we’ve got this one.”

“Slavo, you wanna read out the starters?” Rod asked, handing Jaccob a small sheet of paper.

“Alright, Foegs, Staalzy, Willy up front with Faulker and de Haan on the blue line. Darls is taking the net.” The room erupted in a short-lived applause before everyone started lining up to make their way onto the ice for warm-ups. Haydn kept his head down, making it a point not to lift it unless he absolutely had to. As soon as the buzzer rang he was off the ice, not wanting to give Noah a chance to stop him. After that it was a quick ten minutes before he was sitting on the bench, watching Jordan take the first face-off. Barely three minutes into the game he heard his name.

“Fleury, you’re up,” Rod shouted from behind him. Haydn stood up, waited for Dougie to get back to the bench, and hopped over the side. As soon as his feet hit the ice he was laser-focused on Noah, as if he couldn’t control himself. The puck hit Noah’s stick and he immediately bounded towards him, throwing his entire body into him as he turned away from the boards. Haydn quickly recovered and skated away, getting back into his defensive position. He tracked as the puck bounced from player to player and as Sebastian buried it in the back of the net. Skating over, he quickly patted Sebastian on the head before returning to the bench. He almost lost track of time as he watched the puck bounce from one side of the ice to the other.

“One minute remaining in the period!” The arena speakers blasted. He watched as the clock ran out and immediately headed back to the locker room.

“Good first, boys,” Rod said as everyone took a seat in their stall. “Keep on the puck, don’t let them catch their breath. We’ve got a good aggressive game going, let’s keep it up.” As he continued to talk, Haydn zoned out. _He hasn’t even tried to say anything to me. Why would he though? It’s not like we were dating for a year and he totally didn’t tell me that he was fucking in love with me._ Haydn’s thoughts drowned out the sound of his coach until he noticed everyone else getting out of their stall.

“Let’s get this done, guys!” Justin said loudly, waiting for everyone to leave the locker room before following. Haydn only saw a few minutes of ice time in the second period. He sat on the bench quietly, jumping in and out of play for a minute at a time until the clock ran down. Another trip in and out of the locker room and another pep-talk later, he was sitting on the bench, twenty minutes away from leaving Calgary. He would have been relieved, if not for the fact that he would have to face Noah again in eleven days.

“Fleurs,” Justin’s voice called out from the ice. “Go!” Haydn hopped over the boards and quickly scanned for the puck. He chased after it, only for the player to ice it down the boards. He took his position outside of the face-off circle, crossing his stick in front of the other defenseman.

 _“_ Haydn,” A familiar voice said just loud enough for him to hear. “We should talk after this.”

 _“_ Why the fuck would I ever want to talk to you?” The words came out of Haydn’s mouth before he had a chance to think them over.

“Wha-” Noah’s voice was cut off by the sound of a whistle. The puck slid away and Haydn skated after it, barely catching up before having to turn the other way. Skating towards center ice, Haydn saw the puck connect to a stick - _Noah’s stick_. Before he fully knew what he was doing he was heading for Noah in open ice, slamming into him at full speed. They both fell to the ground and stayed there for a few seconds before pushing themselves up. Haydn’s entire body stung, but he wasn’t about to show it; he skated back to the bench without so much as a look.

“Nice hit, Fleurs,” Dougie said, offering him a small smile before turning back to the game. He only sat for a few minutes before being called back to the ice.

 _Twelve minutes left_. Haydn checked the clock as he made his way to the face-off circle, again crossing his stick with Noah’s.

“I’m really happy to see you,” Noah said, flashing him a smile. “I wish you could stay longer.”

“Stop talking,” Haydn barked.

“Are you mad at me?” Noah asked, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Are you actually fucking asking me that?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t believe you.”

“What did I do?” Before Haydn could respond the referee blew his whistle. Fuming from his conversation, Haydn watched as Sebastian won the face-off and skated to his position. Just as he did the puck flew past him along with a cluster of Calgary players. Haydn followed as quickly as he could, skating in front of the crease just as Noah did the same. He barreled into Scott, who was already sprawled out from making a save.

“Get off of my goalie,” Haydn pushed Noah away from the crease and into the glass.

“I barely touched him,” Noah said before looking up. “Haydn-” The linesman grabbed each man’s back, trying to get them to back away from each other.

“You had no business being there in the first place, jackass.” Haydn spat. “Your a fucking defenseman, stay on the blue line.”

“What the fuck is your problem?” Noah yelled, Haydn’s hand now tightly gripping the collar of his jersey.

“I think you know what my fucking problem is,” Haydn sneered back, pushing the referee off of his back. “Drop your fucking gloves.”

“I don’t want to fight you,” Noah said, significantly less forceful than before.

“I don’t care what you want,” Haydn matched his volume, shaking his left arm until his glove fell to the ice. “ _Drop your fucking gloves_.”

“I’m not going to fight y-” Before he could finish, Haydn’s fist was flying towards him. There was no time to move out of the way, Noah felt his nose crack as the fist made contact with his face. He tried to back away, but Haydn had a tight grip on his jersey’s collar. “What the fuck, dude stop! I-” Haydn wasn’t listening, he kept throwing punches and they kept connecting. They both fell to the ice, but Haydn didn’t stop. After what seemed like a lifetime, he felt a pair of hands on his back, pulling him off of the ice and away from Noah’s bloodied face. He skated to the bench, emotionless. Noah tried to push himself up, but almost immediately fell back down to the ice. Haydn watched, blank faced, as two Calgary players assisted him off of the ice. Looking up at the video screen he watched Noah be taken to the locker room.

“Carolina penalty, number four.” The ref yelled over the crowd. “Five minutes for fighting and a game misconduct.”

“Fleury,” Justin called, “Locker room.” Haydn pushed himself up and walked down the tunnel. He didn’t feel anything; he thought seeing him,  _hitting him_ , would have done something to make him feel better, but he felt _nothing_ . He slowly took his gear off and headed to the shower. _If this didn’t help, what would?_ He got out of the shower just as the buzzer rang from the ice.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Justin yelled towards Haydn as the team filed into the room. “There was no reason to drop your gloves.”

“I think it was sick,” Brett said with a smile. “I’ve never seen Fleury get so aggressive.”

“Being aggressive isn’t the point, you can’t go around taking fighting majors like that.” Jaccob piped in.

“You could have cost us the lead, Fleurs.” Justin agreed. “Just think about it before you decide to fight next time.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Haydn mumbled. He sat there quietly as the others got out of their uniforms and into their suits. As soon as the word was given, Haydn was on the bus; he didn’t want to be in that building a second longer than required. He put his headphones on a turned the volume up as high as it would go. His mind started to wander almost immediately; it went straight to Noah. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with him, but it was a little too late for that. The fight was more of a dream than a memory; the only thing he really remembered was the first punch and being pulled away. _Why would you want to fight someone you love? Because he abandoned you without so much as a text? It wasn’t his fault he had to leave, though. That doesn’t make it okay, but it is an excuse._ _But it was a little too late for that, wasn’t it? There’s no way someone would want to talk it out after you’ve beaten them up on live television._ As if on cue, his phone started vibrating violently. Looking down, he saw dozens of messages from his brother.

 _ <<cale _: read this article lmao

 _ <<cale _: whoever wrote this needs to check the replay

 _ <<cale _: it wasnt that good of a fight

 _ <<cale _: WAIT LMAO IT WAS AGAINST HANIFIN

 _ <<cale: _i thought you guys were bumping uglies

 _ >>cale _: i swear to god if you ever use the term bumping uglies to describe someone i’m dating again i’m going to fly to montreal and murder you

 _ >>cale _: that’s not a threat its a fucking promise

 _ >>cale _: and you know we’re not together anymore dude

 _ >>cale _: i fucking told you about his disappearing

 _ <<cale _: im not sorry

 _ <<cale _: good game tonight man

 _ <<cale _: hopefully you get your shit with hanny figured out you two had something

 _ >>cale _: thanks

Clicking the link, it lead him to an article titled “ _Fleury rocks Hanifin, game misconduct”_.

 

> _Noah Hanifin, defensemen for the Calgary Flame, was sent to the locker room after an altercation late in the third period involving former teammate Haydn Fleury of the Carolina Hurricanes. Fleury, who looked to have been exchanging words with Hanifin throughout the game decided to take physical action after Hanifin skated into goalie Scott Darling during a scoring opportunity. After the altercation Hanifin had to be helped off of the ice by teammates and was escorted to the locker room where he remained for the rest of the game; he was not available for questions._

Haydn stopped reading. _How badly was he hurt?_ He closed the article and scrolled through his phone, opening twitter and typing Noah’s name into the search bar. He was hoping to find an update on his condition, but instead found several hundreds of gifs and videos, all of which were him punching Noah while he was down on the ice.

“Admiring yourself?” Trevor asked, leaning over the seat.

“I don’t really remember doing all of that,” Haydn blushed, gesturing to his screen. “I thought I just hit him a few times.”

“You _definitely_ hit him more than a few times,” Brett laughed. “I’d like to say it was a good fight, but Hanny just kinda sat there and took it so,” he shrugged.

“Yeah, you totally won,” Brock chimed in. “But to be fair, you also started it.” Haydn shrugged as he offered them a small smile; he didn’t know how else to respond.

“Why Hanny, though?” Justin asked. “Aren’t you two really close?”

“He was just there,” Haydn lied. “It’s nothing against him.”

“Bullshit,” Trevor laughed. “You were going after him the entire game.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“I agree with Trev,” Brock said, patting Haydn on the shoulder. “Every time you two were on the ice together you became one hundred percent more aggressive.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Haydn shrugged again. “It wasn’t anything against him.”

“I bet I know why,” Justin said, obviously ignoring Haydn’s remark. “You’re mad he left and didn’t say anything so you decided to take it out on him here.”

“Why would I be mad?” Haydn tried to laugh it off. “He got traded, it’s not like he decided to leave. Anyways, he can go wherever the hell he wants, I’m not his keeper.”

“He should have said something, though,” Brett nodded. “Leaving like that was really shitty.”

“Yeah, why did he not say anything?”

“Who knows?” As the conversation gradually shifted, Haydn allowed himself to take a breath; _that was too close._ He slipped his headphones back on and pressed play, closing his eyes until he felt the bus come to a stop. After collecting his things he quietly made his way onto the plane and once again closed his eyes.

* * *

 

**January 23, 2019**

Haydn had never been so happy to be a healthy scratch. He was mentally exhausted from the game the night before.

“You’re lucky they’re not giving you a fine,” Justin said as the guys piled onto the bus to Vancouver’s arena.

“Or suspending you,” Brett added.

“Will you guys just let it go?” Haydn pleaded. “That was the first fight I’ve been in, and honestly, it’ll be my last. I feel like fucking death right now.”

“You didn’t even get hit,” Brock laughed.

“He’s probably sore from punching Hanifin into a coma.”

“He’s not in a coma.” Haydn rolled his eyes.

“You definitely broke his nose though,” Justin shrugged. “And gave him a few nasty cuts.”

“He’ll be okay.”

“I still think there’s some resentment in there, you got pretty heated.” Calvin butted in.

“Look,” Haydn huffed. “He ran into Darls and I pulled him off, that’s as deep as it gets.”

“Don’t bring me into this,” Scott laughed. “He didn’t touch me.”

“So there _is_ something else.”

“No, there isn’t.” Before anyone could say something else, Rod stood up at the front of the bus and started giving out instructions. As everyone else made their way to the locker room, Haydn followed a few staff members to the press box.

 _ <<roland _: welcome to the healthy scratch club buddy

 _ <<roland _: how’s winnipeg?

 _ >>roland _: cold as fuck

 _ <<roland _: so the same as usual

 _ <<roland _: what was up with the fight last night?

 _ <<roland _: are you guys not together anymore?

Haydn almost dropped his phone; he had completely forgotten the night he had told Roland about he and Noah’s relationship, partially because he was extremely drunk.

 _ >>roland _: it was nothing

 _ >>roland _: and idk

 _ >>roland _: when he was traded he left without saying anything

 _ >>roland _: like we hadn’t talked until we were on the ice together

 _ <<roland _: wow dick move

 _ <<roland _: you want me to beat him up for you?

 _ <<roland _: jk you already did

 _ >>roland _: hilarious

 _ <<roland _: seriously though, you should talk to him

 _ <<roland _: i’m sure he had a reason

>>roland: yeah

 _ >>roland _: maybe

 _ <<roland _: good enough

 

Haydn sat in the booth quietly, half watching the game. With five minutes left in the third he was escorted to the locker room where he waited for everyone to pile in after the final horn sounded. After a quick speech from Rod everyone began changing out of their gear and back into their clothes.

 

 _ <<roland _: you text him yet?

 _ >>roland _: no

 _ <<roland _: dude

 _ <<roland _: text him

 _ >>roland _: get off my dick

 _ >>roland _: i’ll do it when i’m ready

 _ >>roland _: or i wont

 _ >>roland _: fuck off

 _ <<roland _: okay fine

 _ <<roland _: all i’m saying is that ive known you long enough to know when you’re whipped

 _ <<roland _: and you’re fucking WHIPPED for hanny

 

Haydn read his text, but decided it was best to leave the conversation there. _What else was he supposed to say?_ He followed the team out of the locker room and to the bus, taking his seat quietly as he slipped his headphones over his ears.

“God bless the All Star game,” Trevor said, plopping down beside him. “I ready to sleep for a straight week.”

“It’s great unless you have to go to it.” Justin rolled his eyes.

“Sucks to suck,” Brett laughed. Haydn sat and listened to the boys talk about their weekend plans until they arrived at the airport. He quietly collected his things and made his way onto the plane, closing his eyes as soon as he was settled into his seat. He wasn’t planning on sleeping, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

After a nine hour flight, not including the layover, he was exhausted. By the time he finally made it back to his apartment the only thing he could muster the strength to do slip out of his clothes and climb into bed.

* * *

 

**January 26, 2019**

Haydn sat in his living room, the NHL All Star game playing quietly in the background. He wasn’t really watching it, he just wanted to have something on. Ever since Noah left, the apartment had been scarily quiet. Just as the program cut to commercials, there was a knock on his door. Haydn slowly got up and made his way across the room. _Probably a package or something._

“Hey-” Noah’s smiling face greeted him. He had a few cuts on his face, most noticeably a rather deep one on the bridge of his nose. Haydn had barely opened the door before almost immediately closing it in Noah’s face. “Haydn, please,” Noah pleaded. “I just want to talk.”

“I think you made it _very_ clear that you don’t.”

“ _Haydn_ -.”

“Go back to fucking Calgary, Noah.” he yelled through the door.

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me,” Noah insisted. “I’ll just sit here.” Haydn sighed; he knew Noah well enough to know that he was serious. He slowly approached the door, again opening it to Noah’s smiling face.

“Thank y-”

“You have five minutes and then you’re going to get the fuck out of my apartment.” He walked back to the living room and popped back onto the couch. “Go.”

“I owe you an explanation.” Noah began, taking a seat beside him. “What I did to you was shitty.”

“ _No, really_?” Haydn rolled his eyes.

“I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to you,” he continued, ignoring Haydn’s comment. “I thought that maybe I would be back, like there was going to be another trade and I would find my way back to Carolina. I never thought- I never imagined I’d actually have to leave you.”

“Well you did,” Haydn said bluntly. “And you ignored me for _months_ after that. I tried calling you everyday for _months_ Noah, and you never once answered. Did you not think to even fucking text me? All you had to say was _hey I’m going to Calgary, Haydn._ It’s not that fucking hard.”

“We would have broken up,” Noah sighed. “I didn’t want you to break up with me.”

“You don’t know that. We could have done long distance.”

“Long distance doesn’t work.”

“We could have made it work, Noah. You just didn’t want it to.”

“What do you mean? Of course I wanted-”

“You told me you were in love with me then you threw me in the fucking garbage,” Haydn cut him off, his volume now significantly louder than before. “When you actually love someone you don’t do shit like that. You talk to them; _you try to keep them_. I knew you didn’t actually-”

“Don’t you _dare_ finish that sentence,” Noah grabbed his arm. “I’ve loved you since the second we met, you know that. I know I should have talked to you. I was just _so scared_ that you were going to break up with me and I couldn’t take that chance. I’ve been miserable up there without you.”

“Bullshit. I’ve seen the way you act up there. You always seem so happy and completely not bothered by any of this. You’ve never mentioned me or anyone down here.”

“Of course I haven’t! What the fuck do you want me to do Haydn? Go around to everyone in the media and tell them we were dating? Start crying in every fucking interview I do when they ask me about Carolina? I’m playing the part. You have no idea how absolutely miserable I’ve been, Haydn.”

“If you were so miserable why didn’t you pick up your fucking phone?”

“I already told you, I thought you were going to break-”

“Why the fuck would I break up with you?” Haydn was screaming. “You really think I would call you non-stop for a month just to tell you it wasn’t going to work out? How fucking stupid are you?”

“Extremely.” Noah said quietly, letting go of Haydn’s arm. “I know I messed up. I know I should have talked to you. I _was_ stupid. All I want is for you to forgive me. Fleurs, I _hate_ not being here with you. I hate not being able to call you after a long day and talking until we both fall asleep and waking up to your face every morning.” There were tears streaming down Noah’s face as he spoke. “I know that you hate me, but if there’s even a chance that you don’t, or that you still love me somewhere deep down, please just tell me.” Haydn had never seen him like this before. Every word seemed like a dagger through his heart but he kept talking through the pain. “I want to make this better. So _please_ just tell me how I can make this better.” They sat there in silence for a while, the All Star game still playing quietly in the background.

“Noah, I could never hate you,” Haydn’s voice was low as he tried his best to calm down. “I’m just upset. I didn’t understand why you were ignoring me and I still don’t if I’m being honest, but that doesn’t matter.” He offered him a soft smile. “Just talk to me, that’s all I’ve wanted since you left. I’ve missed you so much, all I’ve wanted to do is hear your voice.”

“Even after all of this?” Noah wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Of course.”

“I love you.” Noah slid his hand under Haydn’s, slowly intertwining their fingers. “Is it too soon to say that again?”

“I guess not,” Haydn shrugged with a smile. He had been waiting to hear those words again for seven months. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, the quiet sounds of hockey still playing in the background.

“So,” Noah broke the silence. “Where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know.” Haydn rested his head on Noah’s shoulder. “Can we just stay here forever?”

“I wish,” Noah huffed. “I have to be back in Calgary by the thirtieth.”

“Long distance, then.”

“Long distance doesn’t-”

“It’ll work for us.” Haydn cut him off. “I love you too much to let a couple of miles get in the way of our relationship.”

“Three thousand, eight hundred and forty-five miles. It’s a thirty seven hour drive or a nine hour plane ride with two layovers.”

“Someone’s done their research,” Haydn giggled. “There’s no harm in trying.”

“Except breaking up.”

“Is that any better than ignoring each other?”

“True.”

“How long can you stay down here?” Haydn asked, shifting his position on the couch.

“Not long,” Noah sighed. “My flight out of tomorrow morning.”

“I wish we had longer.”

“You and me both.” He checked his watch before pushing himself off of the couch. “I should probably get going. I need to go find a motel.”

“Why?” Haydn cocked his head.

“So I have a place to sleep tonight?”

“Noah,” Haydn laughed. “Do you not want to sleep here?”

“I didn’t know that was an option.”

“I would never let my boyfriend sleep in a motel.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Yeah, boyfriend.” Haydn smiled. “Got a problem?”

“Nope.” Noah smiled back, plopping back down. Not even an hour later he was sprawled out, his head in Haydn’s lap while his legs dangled off of the end of the couch. They weren’t really doing anything, but there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

“I’m going to head to bed,” Haydn said after a few more hours, pushing Noah’s head off of his legs. “You can come when you’re ready.”

“Alright,” Noah smiled. “I’ll be there in a few.” Haydn nodded and headed back to his room. He quickly slipped out of his clothes and into a pair of sweatpants. Getting into bed he slid to the right side, making sure to leave room for Noah on the left.

Haydn must have fallen asleep, he didn’t remember hearing Noah climb into bed or feeling him wrap his body around his own.

“Are you still awake?” Noah whispered, resting his chin gently on Haydn’s neck.

“I wasn’t,” Haydn smiled.

“Oh, sorry.” Noah shifted, his head now against Haydn’s back. “Go back to sleep.”

“Okay,” Haydn complied. “Hey?”

“Hey, what?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

 

**January 27th, 2019**

Haydn woke up to an empty bed. Slowly realizing his situation, he made his way into the living room, searching for Noah. On the couch, there was a small piece of folded paper.

 

> _Haydn, I didn’t want to wake you up because you looked like you were dreaming but I had to catch my flight. I wish I could have stayed._
> 
> _Call me when you get up. I promise I’ll answer._
> 
> _Love you._

Half-running back into his bedroom, he grabbed his phone and dialed Noah’s number. A part of him expected it to go straight to voicemail like it had every time he had called seven months ago.

“Hey, babe,” Noah’s voice cheerfully rang from the speaker. “You see my note?”

“Yeah I did.” Hearing his voice made Haydn’s body heat up. “What time did you leave?”

“Like, two? I don’t remember to be honest. We just landed though, so your timing is perfect.”

“We?” Haydn questioned.

“Yeah, turns out Johnny was in Jersey visiting some family and we ended up with the same layover.”

“That your girlfriend?” Haydn heard Johnny’s voice through the phone.

“Uh, yeah,” Noah replied.

“Girlfriend, huh?” Haydn mocked him. “I’d love to meet her.”

“Not a chance,” Noah giggled. “I’ve gotta go, I’ll call you tonight.”

“Okay.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed it! fun fact: i half-intentionally made sure that the word count was noah's new number and haydn's number 
> 
> if you want to request something or talk about the fic, my tumblr is @calefleury

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [I wasn't born to lose you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18039449) by [caixa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/caixa/pseuds/caixa)




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